"That was for Tim"

Tim, who is suffering from pancreatic cancer, attended Thursday’s pre-match press conference, where he met Cowley and the players, who invited him to lead the team out ahead of kick-off.

It was an invitation the 49-year-old accepted in an instant and, after meeting the players again in the dressing rooms prior to the match, he proudly led the teams out of the tunnel in front of Sincil Bank’s biggest crowd of the season so far of more than 9,000.

It was an emotional moment for Tim, who attended the game with members of his family, friends and representatives of St Barnabas Hospice, which is one of the club’s charity partners.

"When it's like that, it's never 11 v 11"

Danny Cowley hailed the impact of the home fans after Lincoln City’s sensational late win over MK Dons.

The Imps fell behind to Rhys Healey’s 64th minute strike, but goals from Shay McCartan and Jason Shackell, who headed home deep into added time, secured a 2-1 as City retained their three-point lead at the top of League Two.

Prior to the game, Cowley had called on the home faithful to get behind the team against one of their promotion rivals.

And the manager felt they played an instrumental role in the victory, which came in front of Sincil Bank’s biggest crowd of the season of more than 9,000.